Everyone needs a massage. That is a simple fact and it is true. Whether it is a toddler, a small child, a teen, or a middle-aged person, they all need a message of a kind. People who are 50 years and above seem to need a massage more than any other age group.
Traditionally, a mother will perform a massage on her child’s back, hand, or even chest. The belief is that a massage will not only relieve some pain but also help in the bonding. However, the message that originates from a massage chair does a different job.
Why Do A Massage
A massage helps relieve pain in the body. Many people refer to a massage as the ideal way to end the pain from the body. Therefore, it is important to know that although the traditional way of massaging may not necessarily achieve all, a massage is important.
Here are other 12 reasons why you need a massage:
- Helps boost your immunity.
- A massage improves the body flexibility.
- Fends off headaches.
- Reduces stress.
- Massage reduces muscle soreness.
- Improves blood circulation in the body.
- Boosts moods.
- Alleviates strain that comes from texting or even typing.
- It is the best way to warm up muscles prior to an exercise.
- Prepares you to have a nice sleep.
- Makes body exercises feel easier.
- Alleviates stiffness especially in the morning.
You can only achieve most of the benefits in the above list if you are using a massage chair. What is a massage chair? How does it work? What are the techniques professional massage givers use to achieve their goal? These important questions need dire answers.
A Massage Chair
A massage chair has been around for some time now. In fact, the first massage chair comes to the market in the 1950s. Back then, the chair did not have many specs and features as the modern massage chair does.
Although it is not very expensive, not many people can buy a massage chair. You can get a massage chair for as low as $200. However, a premium, massage chair will cost you anything between $2,500 and $8,000. With the cost, come features that will help you achieve all the services you need.
Those who have the money to buy a massage chair have the liberty to put it in their living room as any chair. But it has distinctive features that make it look different.
For instance, it has a nice backrest, a headrest, armrest and where to place your feet. It is heavy thanks to its features. You do not have to move it around.
A massage chair mechanism uses electricity to release stimulations, to vibrate and all the necessary techniques that we’ll talk later on. However, you should not worry because it doesn’t use a lot of power. Actually, an average massage chair uses 150W to 300W. This is super efficient.
Although a few people that have the cash buy a massage chair and place it in their homes, most people choose to visit massage parlors in their towns. They do so at certain times of their choice such as once a week, or two times a month. Whichever their choice, you too need a massage. It is good to ask, how does a massage chair work?
How a Massage Chair Works
By using gears, rollers, motors, and in-built vibrating techniques, massage chairs release heat that stimulates the body of the person on the chair.
Recent massage chair mechanism are very complicated yet elaborate services thanks to the proper use of technology.
Even the simplest massage chair will release a series of vibrations that are needed by the client to offer a massage. To provide these vibrations, massage chair manufacturers ensure that they use small devices. These devices have wheels or gears in them that contain the required weight.
To create endless vibrations when the massage chair is set on, weight must be kept unbalanced thus the gear or the wheel will keep rotating or moving up and down. The result is creating vibrations.
In fact, this same mechanism is inside cell phones that have a vibration feature. Once the phone is set on and the motor starts to rotate, the device starts to swing thus creating endless vibrations. To generate the required amount of vibrations throughout the day, a massage chair needs many such small devices. This is what manufacturers ensure.
Generally, all massage chairs have the basic framework. Although most of the massage chairs have high-end upholstery on the top, they have a metal frame underneath that supports the many small devices that release the vibrations. The devices include gears, rollers, and motors.
When you are on a massage chair, the rollers that smoothly curved ends act as the human hand. It is, for this reason, a massage on a chair is the same as the one a human hand can offer.
For them to produce the same sensation as that of a human hand, rollers have to move in a regular pattern. The reclining design is also nicely-built thanks to adopting both electrical and mechanical systems. To change or switch different reclining positions, one needs to press a button on the chair’s control panel. However, in other chairs, it is a pull and pulls release prompt that offers the reclining position you need.
Interestingly, some massage chairs depend on water while others remain dry. Therefore, different massage chairs use different mechanisms to offer the best reclining position. It depends on which type you prefer.
Massage Chair Mechanism Techniques
Massage chairs use different massage techniques to achieve their different goals. Here are some of the common massage techniques that most chairs use:
Rolling
In this technique, massage chair rollers move up and down behind the client’s back. The aim is to offer massage at the entire back.
Kneading
As it were, massage chair rollers move on a motion that assumes a circle. These circular motions embed an even massage on the area whether back, hands, thighs or any other body part that is on target.
Tapping
While rolling is the up and down movement on the backrest, tapping is the pushing in and out in the same area. It is like touching a part of the body and releasing the hand. Others refer to this technique as ‘karate chop’ thanks to its ‘chopping’ way.
Shiatsu
This is part-specific massage. The rollers concentrate on pressing against certain parts on the back rather than the entire backrest area.
Professionals also refer to this technique as acupoints. The aim is to relieve tension.
Gripping
In this technique, the client is firmly held to the chair. Arms and legs are the usual targets.
Verdict
Traditional massage chair mechanism may be good but technology is fast replacing those techniques. It is high time you embrace modern massage techniques thanks to a massage chair. Now that you know how it works and the techniques that are in place, you know why you need a massage.
